Base Camp Thermoball Mule

• THERMOBALL™: Made from post-consumer recycled polyester, lightweight Thermoball™ effectively insulates in cool, damp conditions.
• VIBRAM® XS TREK: Engineered for stability and comfort, Vibram® XS Trek delivers traction, durability and flexibility on unpredictable and wet terrain.

• Spot clean after use: Make sure to clean your boots after use, as mud and dirt getting into the fabric can cause fibre decay. It is a common error to machine wash boots. Instead, use hot water, a rag and a cleansing agent to clean the footwear.
• Air dry: To dry, stuff footwear and air-dry for best results.

• Recycled: made from recycled polyester
• BLUESIGN Certified Partner: BLUESIGN gives you the assurance that only companies that act responsibly were involved in the manufacture of a product that is designated with the BLUESIGN® product label.
• Eco-initiatives: The North Face purchase third-party verified carbon offsets for greenhouse gas emissions we have not been able to eliminate from our web shop deliveries. Offsets are managed through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. They are also committed to reducing our product impacts by partnering with suppliers on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions intensity per product they produce by 50% by 2030. 
• Eco-packaging: The North Face remain committed to reducing single-use plastic. Their polybags are now made from recycled plastic, and in the UK they are removed and recycled before online orders are shipped.

For an outdoor behemoth, The North Face has pretty humble origins. It was founded in San Francisco in 1966 by a couple of committed climbers who simply thought the outdoor gear available at the time wasn't good enough. Nearly sixty years on, much of the brand's range is less about the summit and more about everything that happens around it. The iconic Half Dome logo has become one of the most recognisable in outdoor lifestyle fashion – and the brand's cultural footprint now extends well beyond the mountains.

Core heritage pieces like the quarter-zip and pile fleeces now make great grab n' go layers for daily wear, while a bag like the Borealis remains one of the best-designed EDC packs ever made. There's still plenty of innovative thinking going on at TNF HQ too, of course – such as the Base Camp Voyager Pro modular travel system, designed to reflect how people actually move through modern urban environments like airports and cities.

And to be fair, the technical gear continues to deliver when it matters – from 3L DryVent hiking shells to down puffers that deliver superb warmth for weight. But the honest picture is a brand whose best work right now sits at the intersection of outdoor credibility and everyday wearability. It's gear you'd wear on a sunrise hike, then to lunch at a pop-up taqueria afterwards too.